“Before I die I want to forget about myself.”

Richmond, Virginia

Thanks to the thousands of people who have created walls in their communities, the Before I Die project has become a global movement that examines our relationship with one another and ourselves through the lens of mortality. After the sudden death of someone she loved, the artist Candy Chang created the first Before I Die wall on the side of an abandoned house in New Orleans. Since then, over three thousand Before I Die walls have been made in seventy-eight countries and thirty-eight languages. Each wall is created by local residents who want to create a space in their community that can help us restore perspective by sharing with one another. Each wall is a tribute to living an examined life.